Several individuals are currently under investigation for the illegal organization of wild mushroom foraging activities in protected mountainous areas and violating protection regulations of Dali Bai autonomous prefecture, Yunnan province, according to authorities.

The Dali branch of the Cangshan Erhai National Nature Reserve administration said in a statement that a 41-year-old man named Shao is being investigated for illegally organizing a group to forage for mushrooms in the protected area of the Cangshan Mountains on Tuesday, as reported by thepaper.com, a domestic news portal, on Thursday.

Another suspect, a 40-year-old man identified as Wang, entered the core zone of the protected area without authorization on Monday, violating local protection regulations. He was also placed under investigation on Tuesday.

Previously, on Aug 22 and 23, two other individuals were found to have entered the core and buffer zones of the protected area of Cangshan Mountains, also in violation of protection and management regulations. These individuals are also under investigation.

Local authorities said that the investigations are ongoing and penalties will be issued in accordance with laws and regulations. The results of the investigations will be made public in due course, it added.